help me figure out how to eat on our trip...

[ProudGrandma]

This is about our quick trip to Arizona again....we will be in a different hotel every night...most days we will be driving during the lunch hour.  we will end up eating often at a resturant, but we will also have a cooler in our car...and in some of the hotels we will have mini kitchens. 

 

How would you pack food for this trip?  I can eat sandwiches once in a while, but I HATE eating them daily...so I want some other ideas for a quick lunch that my kids (ages 13, 12 adn 9) will eat....cheese, crackers and meat doesn't cut it anymore...has to be more filling that that.   And if we would eat in the car (which we will do some days...and others we might stop to enjoy the mountains, etc)....it would have to be mess free.

 

Please help me figure out some food ideas. 

 

thanks.

 

 

[Staceyshoe]

Yogurt?  Hard boiled eggs?  Lots of fruit.

[Occasionally]

How about plugging in a crock pot overnight at the hotel (you can shop for ingredients as you go along) then wrapping it up or putting it in an insulated bag for lunch? Stopping to dish out and eat something shouldn't take too long, and the kids can stretch their legs while it happens (we often do something similar--the lunch stops aren't long, but are necessary for the kids.)

 

How about getting a breakfast sandwich maker for the mornings before you leave? We often stay at hotels that offer a free breakfast buffet, but if that isn't an option, something hearty for breakfast is a must. Even oatmeal in the microwave.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[regentrude]

How long distances will you be driving each day? Can you time your stops so that you can eat there?

When we drive long distances (800miles) in a day and leave in the morning, we eat a good breakfast before leaving and then stop twice, for an early lunch at some soup/sandwich place, and for a late dinner (after which we drive for another hour or two).  In between, we have a cooler with fruit, yoghurt, eggs, cheese, and sometimes sandwiches, plus cereal bars, cliff bars, nuts, dried fruit. But having a real breakfast before we leave, and two real meals, cuts down the need for snacking and makes everybody easier to deal with ;-) We found that getting out of the car for two real stops is more efficient than eating in the car; everybody is more pleasant. (Of course we stop in between for five minute gas refueling/potty breaks)

 

If we drive a long distance on the way home (where arriving late at night is not a problem), we found it easiest to leave late morning after having eaten a early lunch, stop once for dinner, and then drive the rest of the way and arrive after mid night.

 

When we only drive medium distances (a few hundred miles), the above mentioned snacks in the cooler are fine for my teens and us adults.

[Anne in CA]

When we drove across country in our conversion van we took a lot of Slimfast and yogurt and did that for lunch quite a bit. You really aren't as hungry when you are just driving. On days we were more active we went to restaurants for lunch and ate "real food". When we were trying to make time of the road we just drank slimfast and kept going.

[Mandylubug]

Awe, man. DH and I were talking about flying back out to AZ for a food tour lol. I'd not pack anything and map out my food stops and gain 50 pounds lol

 

For our long road trips we do sandwiches, granola, nuts, fruit and cheese cubes.

[Gil]

Baked potatoes

cup ramen

cheese (we eat it cubed or sliced).

Cereal in a baggie (get the quality ziploc bags).

Canned meat (tuna, sardines)

bagels/rice cakes

citrus fruits (fresh)

apples (fresh)

 

[bettyandbob]

In the car I like:

 

Cut fruit and veggies (lots of different kinds)

Cheese

Boiled eggs

Cut up chicken breast.

 

Kids might also have:

 

Crackers

Peanut butter

Humus

Yogurt

 

We don't eat heavier stuff because driving and heavier stuff will put me to sleep. Sometimes we eat in the car. Sometimes we stop at a rest area. The important thing to do at the rest area us run around. Everyone out of the vehicle moving, stretching, jogging.

 

If the kids don't like the variety of small things, I would just remind them they will eat something different for dinner. No one needs much food in the car because you are sitting. If you are staying places that offer breakfast let the kids load up on the waffles or instant oatmeal. And let them pick a fruit and a yogurt to take with them from the breakfast bar.

 

We will do dinner at a restaurant when I've stopped driving for the day. Then, I can have salad or something heavier. Whatever I eat will not affect driving.

[Annie G]

I would make wraps because in a cooler those would hold for 2 days easily.  They're less soggy and less messy than regular sandwiches. 

Cold homemade chicken tenders are a staple when we road trip. We save Chick-fil-A sauce for road trips to dip them in but any fast food place has dipping sauces. 

 

Bananas are good travel fruits because they don't need to be cut and aren't messy. Easy to toss the peel at the next gas stop. 

 

We tend to snack when we're driving rather than eat full meals. Crackers with peanut butter or sliced cheese, chips, etc.  Pretty sure it's boredom grazing. 

 

 

 

 

[Ottakee]

It isn't really something you pack but if your route is along more populated areas you could also stop at Walmart or other grocery store deli and get a $6 deli chicken and a side or 2 and for under $10 feed the whole family.